The Benefits of Protecting Your Horse's Legs

I use boots on my horses all the time. Bandages with pads for flat and dressage work; sports medicine boots for pole work, low jumps and hacks; event boots for jumping and eventing; and bellboots for everything. I never use open front jumping boots as I don't like the idea of the horses cannon bone connecting with a pole. It has its uses, but I'm personally not in favour of them.

But why do we use horse boots? Do they really stabilise and protect? What about sports medicine boots? Do they support the tendon and fetlock joint from impact? I just adore my Professional Choice Sports Medicine Elite Boots and just find any odd reason to put them on when I work my horses. I feel like they protect and stabilise. Boots have prevented many injuries during cross country and show jumping, which was evident after seeing the rips in them. As the most hunters would know, boots or bandages are never used in a hunt field as the horse could get caught and hurt itself. I've seen a horse step on its own bellboots during a fox hunt and trip quite badly, injuring himself and the rider. This never put me off using leg protection during hacks though.

The origin of bandaging horse legs derives from the sales yard. Horses with an uneven count of white legs seem "lame" or uneven when being shown in a trot. Wrapping all four legs in white bandages evens out the gait to show that the horse is sound. Many hideous things can be hidden behind bandages though, one of the worst being race horses trained to sprint faster or show jumpers taught to not knock the poles by using a method called "blistering". Thankfully, boot checks are compulsory in large competitions and all horses' legs are checked underneath the bandage/boot. It is important to ensure your horse's legs are spotlessly clean before using bandages or boots, as debris and dirt can cause a nasty rub.

A few years ago, the Equine Research Centre publicised a document called "No Foot No Horse". They found, that correctly applied polo wraps will absorb up to 9% of the concussive force of the hoof hitting the ground. Sports Medicine Boots absorb 23% if applied correctly but both have to be used on all four legs if they should serve a purpose. A non-stretch bandage is easier to apply. If you are not sure about the amount of tightness, and how to have even pressure on all legs, stick with non-stretch fleece bandages, they are the safer bet. Hilary Clayton, BVMS PhD MRCVS, Mary Anne McPhail Dressage chair in Equine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University, is a pioneer in locomotion and sports medicine research. She claims that polo wraps don't support the leg but give some protection against trauma.

Dane Frazier, DVM, trains and rides endurance horses but also judges at FEI Level for more then 30 years. He says that polo wraps provide extra padding and possibly they support internal tissues. Bandages are also common with veterinary medicine to reduce edema and swelling of the limb following a soft tissue or bone injury. He does admit that bandages might only serve a fashionable purpose but putting them on too tight or too lose can have disastrous effects on the horse's legs. Frazier says that, "Performance horses are commonly bandaged so that the flexors (the tendons on the back of the forelimb) are pulled toward the inside. This may help keep the leg from being wrapped too tightly as the bandage is 'pulled' around the front of the canon bone and 'laid' over the flexor tendons. The major blood vessels to the distal limb are on the flexor surface of the leg. A bandage applied too tightly can result in limb edema, pressure points, or even circulatory disturbance with limb- and life-threatening vascular necrosis (a disease resulting from the temporary or permanent loss of blood supply to the bone). However, I have seen horses' legs wrapped in both directions correctly and without negative consequence."

Clayton found another issue: "There's the concern about overheating of bandaged tendons. Temperatures around 45°C (a few degrees higher than normal tendon temperature) have been recorded in the core of the superficial digital flexor tendon, even after strenuous exercise of short duration (Goodship, et al., 1993). Heat is generated by the stretch-recoil cycle in the tendons, yet bandage wraps reduce normal cooling of the legs by convection. I recommend cold hosing the legs after removing wraps if the horse has worked hard, especially when using sports medicine boots."

So, to use boot or not to use boots?

I personally feel safer using boots, especially on my competition horses and youngsters. My horses do not work such long hours as to be worried about overheating and I make a point of hosing their legs after and before every ride. They do prevent injuries as can be seen in this very informative video by the British Equine Scientist Dr. David Marlin.

http://www.blip.tv/file/3072919?utm_source=player_embedded

Add your Comment

Name*

Email

Message*

Enter the letters above

Get a different image